But Henrietta was telling the truth. No matter how exquisite or luxurious the food from outside was, it rarely compared to what a top-tier private kitchen could produce.
Artina took another deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. Before she could speak, Henrietta cut her off. "Alright, you can go now. Get back to work."
Artina was about to lose her mind. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought for control. She didn't leave. Instead, she said, "Ms. Sargent, what's the rush? Can't we chat for a minute?"
"I'm not interested," Henrietta stated flatly.
"You!" Artina's temper flared, and she nearly snapped.
Henrietta arched a brow. "What? Have you already forgotten your last lesson? Are you daring to challenge your boss again?"
Artina swallowed her anger, forcing a strained smile. "No, not at all. It's just... this coffee and cake are from my boyfriend. I've accepted an engagement."
"Oh," Henrietta replied with utter indifference. "That has nothing to do with me. I only care about your filming schedule and your work ethic. Why should I be interested in your personal life?"
Ignoring her, Artina continued her monologue, touching the necklace at her throat. "My boyfriend gave me this yesterday. It's worth several million, you know."
Henrietta had already noticed it. The quality of the diamond necklace was indeed impressive. But she was still not playing along.
"Only several million?" she remarked with a dismissive air.
Artina's face twitched, but she quickly recovered. "Of course, to you that's nothing, Ms. Sargent. But my boyfriend and I are just starting out. I only just accepted the engagement, we haven't even met in person yet. We just exchanged contact information, and he had this necklace delivered right to my house. It was his idea to treat the whole company to coffee and cake, too."
Henrietta picked up a folder from her desk. "I'm not interested in the minor-league dynasties you're marrying into. Get back to the set and do your job, or else..."
Artina didn't seem offended. "Fine, I'll go back to work right now. But Ms. Sargent, there's one more thing I want to tell you. After this film, I'm done acting. And I won't be staying with the company."
This caught Henrietta by surprise. She looked up. "Oh, feeling bold, are we? Your contract is still with this company."
"I'm well aware," Artina said proudly. "The buyout is only a paltry forty million."
Henrietta didn't react to her boasting, simply stating, "Then you can pay the fee."
She had never set the penalty too high, partly because she had studied acting herself and didn't want to adopt the completely dehumanizing practices of a pure capitalist.



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